Despite the ugly finish to the football season, enough time has passed to make me think it's a good idea to give self-flagellation one more try. So this week and next, I'll offer up a final obituary on the offense and defense and a way-too-early look at what next year holds.
This can't be done without a recruiting board update, and a depth-chart look too. So the depth chart is updated for your review - the notable change is Zane Parr's curious decision to bolt for the NFL draft. More about that next week when the defense gets its turn.
The recruiting board sees two very interesting changes:
- Darius Redman drops from orange to decommitted maroon.
- Added QB Gary Nova to green. Did I say he was the kind of guy there probably wouldn't be room for in the class? Whoops.
Redman becomes the class's second decommit after Matt Bailey way back when, and he's off to the Hokies for official now. (Redman denied most of what's in that report but it's since turned out to be more or less spot the hell on.) By most accounts it's an amicable parting; as I said earlier I have to believe the coaches played a role in decommitting him. We lose a tight end who had a decent chance to get on the field as a second tight end, but there are plenty of tight ends on the roster and a player or two already in the class who could be a tight end if necessary (Thompson Brown, for example); the trade-off is a much more talented pick-up in an area of greater need.
This explains why the coaches are able to recruit five or six player for what looks like two spots. Now it's three, and we're surely not done hearing about prep candidates.
An added bonus, by the way, of Redman's switch to VT is that if you ever hear a Hokie tell you the reason they failed to land Dominique Terrell was because of concern about his SAT scores, you can laugh in their ugly face.
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Now, time to go position by position......
QUARTERBACK
This year....
Marc Verica's play as the unquestioned starting quarterback drew complaints from all corners of the fanbase and constant calls to replace him with a freshman. This means that his play was.....not that damn bad, actually. Verica evened out his touchdowns and interceptions, throwing 14 of each, and almost 2800 yards. His passer rating landed him 84th out of starting quarterbacks in the nation, which isn't amazing. But it was better than:
- Jeremiah Masoli of Ole Miss
- Robert Bolden of Penn State, whose desire to transfer caused the obvious questions about whether his destination might possibly be UVA
- Kyle Parker of Clemson
- Jacory Harris of Miami
- John Brantley of Florida
- Garrett Gilbert of Texas
- two formerly highly-heralded players in B.J. Daniels of South Florida and Dwight Dasher of Middle Tennessee
So there's something to be said for slapping the next person who says "it can't be worse."
Verica's limitations are many, but during certain games he was able to thrive when offensive coordinator Bill Lazor called the right plays to get him into a rhythm. All in all, I'm willing to call it a successful year for Verica - he played better than a lot of bowl-bound quarterbacks and could have been one himself given a defense.
Next year....
We start all over again in a situation reminiscent of 2006. I went into the year thinking "we have three quarterbacks who could start, they can't possibly all suck." They all sucked, and the job fell to Jameel Sewell. So there's hope even for true freshman David Watford to snag the job in 2011.
That's not ideal, though. The team is better off if one of Ross Metheny, Mike Rocco, or Michael Strauss can put a clamp on the job. The sooner the better, though I hold little hope that it can be settled in spring camp. I refuse to handicap the race at this point. Sometimes you read that Strauss has made huge strides, sometimes you read that Rocco held the edge over Metheny on the season.....whatever. Nothing Rocco or Metheny did in their limited playing time separated themselves from each other as viewed from the bleachers, so we'll have to leave it to the coaches on this one. Somebody will be named a starting quarterback on September 3, and if the same guy finishes the Tech game some three months later, you'll know the season went reasonably well.
RUNNING BACK/FULLBACK
This year....
Oh, that's why we were so damn excited. Keith Payne either spent three and a half years being treated like ostrich shit by Al Groh and being shoehorned into an offense that had no idea how to take advantage of his skill set, or spent three and a half years thinking he was a 240-pound scatback and acting like a spoiled doo-doo head. Depends on who you listen to. After quitting the team in 2009, he had a change of heart when Mike London was hired, wanted back on, asked how high when London said jump, and bulldozed his way to the ACC scoring lead with 14 touchdowns. He'd have become UVA's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2004 had he not split carries with Perry Jones, and yes, he'll be the football nomination for Cavalier of the Year in June.
Jones acquitted himself well also, managing to stay healthy and showing a deceptive ability to not get tackled despite being the size of the period at the end of this sentence. Jones was also third on the team in receptions. Raynard Horne ran well in relief of the top tandem. Max Milien flashed a little Jason Snelling ability at fullback, but wasn't used as a ballcarrier or receiver as heavily as Snelling was.
All in all, a productive year, exceeding expectations. Partly that's due to the offensive line also exceeding expectations, but Payne ran with a purpose this year and deserves special mention for his roaring comeback.
Next year....
Payne and Horne graduate, and the possibility exists that there won't be room for backup fullback Terrence Fells-Danzer, either. Jones will need a new backfield partner, because he's just that damn small and will never be a 30-carry-a-game running back. That job will see some competition in spring and fall. Torrey Mack hasn't quite lived up to his billing and is in danger of being passed up - this will really be his last chance to show something - and he should be pushed hard by K.P. Parks and Khalek Shepherd. Particularly Parks, who's uncannily similar to Mike Hart: short, built like a bowling ball, not real fast. Parks has exciting potential. If Clifton Richardson doesn't have to prep, he too could enter the mix right away.
At fullback, Max Milien will almost certainly be brought back for a fifth year, and if TFD is not, Ryan Cobb will inherit the backup role.
WIDE RECEIVER
This year....
For the first time in UVA history, two wide receivers cracked 700 receiving yards, and Kris Burd was three feet away from making it 800. Dontrelle Inman (the back-from-the-dead stories just keep piling up on offense) helped everyone forget that Tim Smith took an injury-related redshirt year by going for 815 yards himself.
The receivers definitely made it easy on Verica this year. Inman, Burd, and Matt Snyder racked up catches and yards like no group of receivers have in UVA history. There've been better individual receivers, but never all at once. These three were good enough on their own that few other receivers on the roster saw the field. Jared Green got a few catches in relief and Ray Keys caught a couple garbage-time balls; that was about it.
Next year....
Inman graduates, but the replacement cupboard is deep. Tim Smith will hopefully be healthy enough to have a breakout year alongside Burd, and Snyder should return and continue to be a quality possession receiver. I half-expect Green not to be brought back, but there are freshmen waiting in the wings. Bobby Smith is a huge oak tree of a receiver and could be used in the end zone; E.J. Scott should at least be a reliable fourth receiver in relief of the starters. Kevin Royal's skill set screams "possession guy" and so he'll probably have to wait til Snyder graduates for his turn. But any of these three could surprise.
And let's not forget the recruiting class. At extreme risk of counting my freshmen before they hatch, at least one of Dominique Terrell and Darius Jennings should definitely be at UVA; both are possible. Adrian Gamble is likely to redshirt, but Jennings is enough of a talent that he would have a chance to force his way onto the field immediately. Terrell would bring a totally new dimension - I envision him being used the way the Detroit Lions use Stefan Logan: on end-arounds, as a running back, as a target for WR screens, and in the slot. Barring a spate of injuries and some bad surprises on the recruiting trail, there will be plenty of help to ease the new quarterback into his job.
TIGHT ENDS
This year....
Colter Phillips almost didn't play the season because of the well-publicized death of his father in an Alaska plane crash. It's a good thing for Hoo fans he did. Phillips led the team's tight ends in catches, and while the offense didn't exactly see a return of the Heath Miller-esque featured tight end that was so popular in the Groh era, they played a big role. Joe Torchia's injury troubles opened the door for Phillips and Paul Freedman, and they performed well. Admirably, though not spectacularly. Jeremiah Mathis was a late addition to the TE corps when it was further decimated by injury, and he caught a touchdown and liked it so well that he just might stick there.
Next year....
Phillips and Freedman were just sophomores, so they'll be around a while. London all but announced that Mathis would stay a tight end, but with Parr's early depature he might be needed back on the defense. So I consider that one still up in the air. Either way, Jake McGee and Zach Swanson will also battle to be the third tight end. Swanson should have an edge because he's a little bigger and is a natural tight end from high school, while McGee is a converted quarterback. I doubt we'll see a big production increase from this year, due to breaking in a new quarterback and the continued excellence of the receivers.
OFFENSIVE LINE
This year....
What looked like the worst unit on the team turned out to be a decently-performing unit. The interior was steady all year with center Anthony Mihota and left guard Austin Pasztor locking down their respective jobs, and B.J. Cabbell looking shaky only for a brief time at right guard. Landon Bradley's injuries caused some shuffling at the tackle positions, but when he was in he was greatly improved over his lost-looking performance from 2009. Oday Aboushi cemented a starting job, whether on the left or right, Morgan Moses proved impressively versatile, and Sean Cascarano began to nose his way into the rotation.
All in all, the play of the offensive line is what allowed the offensive resurgence to take place and Bill Lazor to look like a genius. They weren't a dominant group, but they proved that stability and a return to decent play could make the offense functional again. Better than functional.
Next year....
More stability, amazingly enough. Continuity you can use. Cabbell is the only starter lost to graduation, though Bradley's injury is a long-term one that might see rehab last through fall camp. In both cases, replacements will be in place. The best thing long-term will be to replace Cabbell with Moses, who has the necessary power and explosion to be a stellar drive-blocking guard and the athleticism to pull around. If Bradley isn't healthy, Aboushi and Cascarano will be able to step up at tackle, though a three-man rotation involving Bradley would be ideal.
Luke Bowanko should also be able to step into more playing time at guard, since backup Isaac Cain also departs, and the wraps will be taken off Conner Davis as well. The future is bright along this line.
One rarely-mentioned aspect of it will be the necessity of finding a new long-snapper, the process of which will begin immediately in spring camp. Bet you never even thought about the long snapping all season. That means it was perfect. Danny Aiken was the one player on the team whose value-to-hype ratio was the largest; cross your fingers that his replacement, whoever that is, plays as well.
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Next week: same thing, but on defense and with a lot less sunshine and a lot more grumbling.
Showing posts with label parr. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parr. Show all posts
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Thursday, December 2, 2010
the recruit: Rob Burns
Name: Rob Burns
Position: DE
Hometown: Ashburn
School: Stone Bridge
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 230
ESPN: 77; three stars; #79 DE
Rivals: 5.6; three stars; VA #15
Scout: three stars; #56 DE
Other offers: Penn State, Stanford, Boston College, Michigan State, Maryland, Syracuse, Rutgers, Duke, Wake Forest
Rob Burns was one of the first guys Mike London offered upon being named head coach, and his name was at the top of the board for most UVA fans. UVA was his first offer (and remained so for a few months), his classroom work is strong, and he hails from one of the state's top teams. Priority recruit. So it might have worried people who read the CavsCorner article about Thompson Brown when Brown referred to London telling him something about "closing out the defensive line class."
Burns was obviously a touch worried too, because he scooted his decision timeframe up and was committed to UVA within a few days of Brown, making sure to get in ahead of a visit day that he wasn't going to attend.
One of the few UVA commits still in the hunt for a state title, Burns anchors one of the state's top defenses. Stone Bridge held regular season opponents to 56 points all season (and often scored about that many in one game), shut out four teams, and held one hapless opponent to 13 yards of total offense all game long. He plays tight end, too (and lacrosse); a natural fit for a guy who's as tall as a power forward and described by his coach as fast. But he's defense all the way in college.
And he'll almost certainly stick at end, too. Despite his height - 6'7, 6'8 is tall for a lineman; you need leverage, after all - ESPN and his coach both credit him with good ability to get down and keep his pad level low. That said, he's probably too tall and definitely too thin for a move to tackle unless he adds another 50 pounds, minimum. (This is the same coaching staff that thinks 240-pound John-Kevin Dolce should be used as a run-stopping tackle, but still.) Five defensive ends are listed on the incoming section of the depth chart, but Burns is one of the most likely to stick there.
All four of UVA's two-deep defensive ends return in 2011, plus DE number five, Billy Schautz. (I expect Jeremiah Mathis to return to the defense next year.) Even if the somewhat underwhelming Zane Parr loses his starting job, Jake Snyder is a third-year sophomore next year, and field-ready. Chances are not good for a true freshman DE to see the field. After that, though, it's open season on the two-deep, with Parr and Cam Johnson graduating next year. Just by virtue of being so damn tall (and plenty athletic), Burns is one of the freakier physical specimens in the incoming class. With his speed, height, and reasonably impressive array of college offers, he should be a quality pass-rusher as well as able to close off the edge to outside running plays. Barring any five-star superfreaks in the upcoming recruiting classes, there's no reason to believe Burns shouldn't develop into at least a two-year starter on the D-line.
Position: DE
Hometown: Ashburn
School: Stone Bridge
Height: 6'7"
Weight: 230
ESPN: 77; three stars; #79 DE
Rivals: 5.6; three stars; VA #15
Scout: three stars; #56 DE
Other offers: Penn State, Stanford, Boston College, Michigan State, Maryland, Syracuse, Rutgers, Duke, Wake Forest
Rob Burns was one of the first guys Mike London offered upon being named head coach, and his name was at the top of the board for most UVA fans. UVA was his first offer (and remained so for a few months), his classroom work is strong, and he hails from one of the state's top teams. Priority recruit. So it might have worried people who read the CavsCorner article about Thompson Brown when Brown referred to London telling him something about "closing out the defensive line class."
Burns was obviously a touch worried too, because he scooted his decision timeframe up and was committed to UVA within a few days of Brown, making sure to get in ahead of a visit day that he wasn't going to attend.
One of the few UVA commits still in the hunt for a state title, Burns anchors one of the state's top defenses. Stone Bridge held regular season opponents to 56 points all season (and often scored about that many in one game), shut out four teams, and held one hapless opponent to 13 yards of total offense all game long. He plays tight end, too (and lacrosse); a natural fit for a guy who's as tall as a power forward and described by his coach as fast. But he's defense all the way in college.
And he'll almost certainly stick at end, too. Despite his height - 6'7, 6'8 is tall for a lineman; you need leverage, after all - ESPN and his coach both credit him with good ability to get down and keep his pad level low. That said, he's probably too tall and definitely too thin for a move to tackle unless he adds another 50 pounds, minimum. (This is the same coaching staff that thinks 240-pound John-Kevin Dolce should be used as a run-stopping tackle, but still.) Five defensive ends are listed on the incoming section of the depth chart, but Burns is one of the most likely to stick there.
All four of UVA's two-deep defensive ends return in 2011, plus DE number five, Billy Schautz. (I expect Jeremiah Mathis to return to the defense next year.) Even if the somewhat underwhelming Zane Parr loses his starting job, Jake Snyder is a third-year sophomore next year, and field-ready. Chances are not good for a true freshman DE to see the field. After that, though, it's open season on the two-deep, with Parr and Cam Johnson graduating next year. Just by virtue of being so damn tall (and plenty athletic), Burns is one of the freakier physical specimens in the incoming class. With his speed, height, and reasonably impressive array of college offers, he should be a quality pass-rusher as well as able to close off the edge to outside running plays. Barring any five-star superfreaks in the upcoming recruiting classes, there's no reason to believe Burns shouldn't develop into at least a two-year starter on the D-line.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
the recruit: Thompson Brown
Name: Thompson Brown
Position: DE
Hometown: Richmond
School: St. Christopher's
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 221
ESPN: 77; three stars; #65 DE
Rivals: 5.5; three stars; VA #23
Scout: three stars; #98 DE
Other offers: Boston College, Maryland, Duke, Ohio
Thompson Brown wasn't even on the recruiting board. There's a reason for this: he didn't have a UVA offer, and it took him maybe five minutes between getting it and committing. Brown committed at a time when D-line spots were thought to be just about full and the whole fanbase was on Rob Burns commitment watch. Brown came in out of nowhere, shortly after Brandon Phelps, and his commitment probably had something to do with Burns being the very next shoe to drop. Whoops, the bus is getting full and I don't know when the next one comes around; better get in before the doors close.
The reason for Brown's lightning-quick reflexes upon receiving the offer is simply that he's a UVA fan from way back. So that's good. Brown plays on the private-school circuit where the competition isn't great (and the injury-riddled junior season didn't help); he didn't have much but some I-AA offers until it came time to camp. Then he picked one up at every camp he went to: BC, Maryland, UVA.
No health problems this year, though. Brown is a two-way player: DE on the defense, and RB and a little TE on offense. He's been remarkably productive all season, with a knack for getting to the ball on defense whether it's in the hands of a ballcarrier or turned loose for the taking. And when in need of touchdowns, St. Chris's usually turns to him there, too. It's not unusual to see Brown get a turnover and a touchdown in the same game, as he did against fellow verbal Darius Lee's St. S/St. A squad.
Brown joins a very deep 2011 DE class that could get even deeper if UVA takes a commitment from Horace Arkadie. The likelihood of all four or five of them sticking at DE is slim; you've got to have some flexibility, and Brown could be among the more flexible players. Marco Jones is a big guy and isn't going anywhere unless he goes inside to DT; Rob Burns is freakishly tall, probably too much so to be a blocker.
Additionally, there isn't much playing time available for defensive ends at the moment. There's a need for depth, but not at the higher levels of the depth chart, as Cam Johnson and Zane Parr are both juniors and there are some capable-looking players behind them in Jake Snyder and Jeremiah Mathis (who I fully expect to see back at DE next year.) Mathis is a bit of a wild card though - it's not crazy to think the coaches might leave him at TE. This is what I mean by a need for flexibility. And Thompson Brown appears to be one of the more flexible players in the class, so his redshirt year will probably be spent seeing what kind of attrition we have and who fits where ahead of him. He'll likely start out working at DE, but I'm not willing to bet on where he'll be two years later. Brown's productivity in high school suggests he'll be a contributor somewhere, maybe a big one. But I think the - ahem - circumstances of the roster ahead of him will ultimately determine where.
Position: DE
Hometown: Richmond
School: St. Christopher's
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 221
ESPN: 77; three stars; #65 DE
Rivals: 5.5; three stars; VA #23
Scout: three stars; #98 DE
Other offers: Boston College, Maryland, Duke, Ohio
Thompson Brown wasn't even on the recruiting board. There's a reason for this: he didn't have a UVA offer, and it took him maybe five minutes between getting it and committing. Brown committed at a time when D-line spots were thought to be just about full and the whole fanbase was on Rob Burns commitment watch. Brown came in out of nowhere, shortly after Brandon Phelps, and his commitment probably had something to do with Burns being the very next shoe to drop. Whoops, the bus is getting full and I don't know when the next one comes around; better get in before the doors close.
The reason for Brown's lightning-quick reflexes upon receiving the offer is simply that he's a UVA fan from way back. So that's good. Brown plays on the private-school circuit where the competition isn't great (and the injury-riddled junior season didn't help); he didn't have much but some I-AA offers until it came time to camp. Then he picked one up at every camp he went to: BC, Maryland, UVA.
No health problems this year, though. Brown is a two-way player: DE on the defense, and RB and a little TE on offense. He's been remarkably productive all season, with a knack for getting to the ball on defense whether it's in the hands of a ballcarrier or turned loose for the taking. And when in need of touchdowns, St. Chris's usually turns to him there, too. It's not unusual to see Brown get a turnover and a touchdown in the same game, as he did against fellow verbal Darius Lee's St. S/St. A squad.
Brown joins a very deep 2011 DE class that could get even deeper if UVA takes a commitment from Horace Arkadie. The likelihood of all four or five of them sticking at DE is slim; you've got to have some flexibility, and Brown could be among the more flexible players. Marco Jones is a big guy and isn't going anywhere unless he goes inside to DT; Rob Burns is freakishly tall, probably too much so to be a blocker.
Additionally, there isn't much playing time available for defensive ends at the moment. There's a need for depth, but not at the higher levels of the depth chart, as Cam Johnson and Zane Parr are both juniors and there are some capable-looking players behind them in Jake Snyder and Jeremiah Mathis (who I fully expect to see back at DE next year.) Mathis is a bit of a wild card though - it's not crazy to think the coaches might leave him at TE. This is what I mean by a need for flexibility. And Thompson Brown appears to be one of the more flexible players in the class, so his redshirt year will probably be spent seeing what kind of attrition we have and who fits where ahead of him. He'll likely start out working at DE, but I'm not willing to bet on where he'll be two years later. Brown's productivity in high school suggests he'll be a contributor somewhere, maybe a big one. But I think the - ahem - circumstances of the roster ahead of him will ultimately determine where.
Monday, October 19, 2009
the view from the driver's seat
Jameel Sewell dropped back to pass, and like so many times before, his pocket collapsed almost instantaneously and another split-second decision was unwillingly forced out of him. Like the unwanted, skull-masked guest at the masquerade, the blood-red-clad defenders were crashing the party again. Sewell made his choice. As his doom closed in, he let the ball fly; an ill-advised throw. On a graceful arc it soared toward failure; two more blood-red saboteurs locked their greedy eyes onto the ball and leaped expectantly for the prize.
When the ball finally came to rest, it was gripped tightly and safely in friendly hands. Call it Providence, call it luck, or call it the same slippery, ungrippable ball that both teams had struggled with all day. By any name, Kris Burd held in his hands the salvation of the season. There was more work to be done, but the fickle rain gods were done smiling on Maryland. A few short minutes later, the Maryland lead was cut in half; a few short minutes after that, it was gone for good.
A football game in the rain and muddy swamps is not won by proving your superiority time and again, nor with crisp, perfect execution. That's for sunny weather. You try to gut it out each and every play, you try to make something happen, and you take what you're given and do something with that. Kris Burd took what he was given. Nate Collins took what he was given. You try not to be the ones doing the giving - at this, Maryland did not succeed.
So here we are atop the conference. How weird is that. There's only one team in the ACC that has yet to lose to any other ACC team this season, and it's not Virginia Poly, not Georgia Tech, not Miami, and definitely not Florida State, as weird as all that sounds. And yet, to the outside world, we've proven nothing. We've won our first two ACC games and they were both on the road - that's huge. As far as the outside world goes, they care little for that. The ghost of William & Mary still haunts this team. As it should. Because this is a team that can't rest on its laurels. What have we to rest on? We've proven we're not totally crappy by beating three crappy teams. "Not crappy" isn't going to get it done next week. We're sitting in the driver's seat, but there's an intersection in the windshield. One of the signs says "2007" and the other says "2008." I know which road I want to go down, but we're not gonna find out til Saturday.
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Part of the reason it's so much fun to beat Maryland is because Maryland insists on being so fun to beat. Early in the game I thought "man, it's hard to stand out for douchery at such a douchey school, but Alex Wujciak is succeeding." This was because of his "we'd never wear stuff like that" quote from the previous week, and then the "look at me, I'm a fierce tribal warrior, RAHHR" eyeblack he had on during the game. Schmo.
I changed my mind, though. Wujciak, despite his proclamations of dominance (you'd think they won the game the way he speaks) is just one douche rocket in a sea of douche rockets. The attitude is pervasive throughout the locker room.
Torrey Smith: “I feel like we’re better than Rutgers, I feel like we’re better than Middle Tennessee, I definitely feel that we’re better than UVa.” (Yes, he said this after losing to all those teams. Some of them twice.)
Wujciak again: "We just shut them down. They got one lucky pass where the guy is half out of bounds, they called him inbounds. I don’t even know what to say about that." (You were halfway across the field, dude. How would you know?)
Chris Turner: "Any other day if it wasn’t a torrential downpour and the balls were dry it would have been another outcome. But shoulda-woulda-coulda, you can’t make excuses, that’s just the way it was." (I think that qualifies as an excuse. Guy sounds like Charlie Weis: "I'm not complaining but...." And I didn't realize the sun was shining whenever Sewell threw the ball.)
With all that crying about how much better they think they are, that sure sounds like a reflection on the coach. But he wouldn't be dumb enough to say stuff like that in public, would he?
Yes he would: "I don’t think these teams that are winning are better than us, but we just keep shooting ourselves in the foot."
Douche. Bags. This is why it's so much fun to beat these guys. They provide enough humor to let the glow of victory last all week. It's not about getting credit or respect for the win; I don't need it, it's etched in the scorebook for all time. It's the laughs. Schadenfreude is twice as freude-y when it's Maryland. Here's a prediction: Duke is going to beat this team next week. Book it. Come back to this page next Sunday and see if I'm right. Why? Maryland doesn't think they need to get any better. They think they're good enough. Five times now, it's been just the rotten breaks that keep going against them. They don't need to get any better, they just need the world to stop turning against them. Duke is a hungry team with a new attitude. They gave Virginia Poly hell and they crushed NC State. They know they need to keep getting better, and they are. Maryland thinks they're good enough already. Hell, they're better than we are, if you listen to their players. An ironic attitude coming from a school whose fans hate us because they think we think we're better than them.
That said....
- We didn't exactly win the battle in the trenches. Especially not on offense. And we didn't get much pressure on Turner, except for certain key moments. If we'd done what I said to do, which is make liberal use of the blitz, given what happened when we did get to Turner I think we'd have had a lot more success on defense and turned the game in our favor earlier.
- Nate Collins is a hoss. The ACC thinks so too.
- To clear it up: Yes, Groh absolutely should have gone for the score. Did you see what happened the last time we had first and goal on the 1? No cutesying around with kneeling the ball. Punch it in, take the points, put 'em down two scores. Maryland had a timeout left and would likely have gotten the ball back with a chance for a miracle. Never turn down the points when all they need to do is score once and they're on top again. Right play call, right time.
- Not only was Burd not out of bounds, but the officials could legitimately have called pass interference on Maryland. Check the tape; the defender that didn't leap into the air knocked Burd out of the way. If that was single and not double coverage, the refs would call that every time.
- Argh one shotgun draw too many.
- Speaking of what happened when we had first and goal at the 1, I'll tell you what happened: Landon Bradley singlehandedly murdered that opportunity. First with the false start and then repeatedly getting blown into the backfield. Next year's training camp is going to see a fierce competition between Bradley and Oday Aboushi for that job, and that's just if Morgan Moses doesn't show up and stick his nose into the fray.
- We didn't really miss Mikell Simpson. No way Simpson could have been effective on that field. What we missed was Cedric Peerman. Having graduated him, Rashawn Jackson would be the guy we needed; why he wasn't given the ball more often and allowed to just bull his way ahead all the time is a mystery. It was pretty damn effective in the fourth. Also, Peerman would not have whiffed that block that resulted in a Sewell fumble, but that only partly matters: Bradley should not have been doubling down on Pasztor's guy, not with two guys lined up outside him that clearly weren't in pass coverage. That might have been how the play was supposed to be blocked, and you have to tip your hat to Maryland's defensive coordinator for really mixing up his blitzes especially well. But Bradley was ineffective all day.
- This might just be the best defense we've ever had in the Groh era. Seriously. It's weird because we don't have Clint Sintim or Darryl Blackstock, those pass-rushing OLB's that do a lot of great things in this 3-4 defense. The linebacking corps is not getting much attention, outside of Steve Greer who's playing very well. But this defense is beastly when it counts. The 3-4 means not much attention goes to the D-line, but I think they deserve the lion's share of the credit. The secondary is playing exceptionally well, that is a fact. And the aforementioned Greer has been a nice addition. But the defensive line is making plays and winning battles, and the 3-4 defense cannot be successful without that. Matt Conrath has been having a terrific season. Let's hope he's not hurt too badly. But if he has to miss time, then the defense will simply adopt Groh's next-man-up mentality, and Zane Parr is that man. Parr has also played well and can fill the hole left by Conrath.
Aaaand I'm done babbling. This week: BIG GAME. Are we legit? We'll find out. Also, see the note below for some programming info.
Editor's note: This is the column I'd planned for Sunday. Unfortunately, in the middle of putting together the highlights from the Maryland game, my computer decided it didn't want to do this anymore. It is down so hard. It does not do things any more. It's not even that old a computer. In computer years, it's right in the middle of its angsty teenage phase, which now that I think of it, I suppose would explain things. Anyway, that means a severe disruption in posting. I'm doing this from work, in bits and pieces because actual work keeps getting in the way. Today I'm going in to get the data on the hard drive recovered and hopefully, get the hard drive fixed too so that it boots up again. If that doesn't work.....well, I don't know what to tell you; a new hard drive will be in order, I don't doubt. As long as my computer is out of commission, going forward the only thing I can guarantee you is a Q&A session with the FTRS boys and that beyond that, there won't be anything other than my thoughts barfed onto the page whenever I get the chance here at work. Actual research until the situation is fixed, like the weekend review post that normally happens today and won't: highly unlikely. Je suis désolé.
When the ball finally came to rest, it was gripped tightly and safely in friendly hands. Call it Providence, call it luck, or call it the same slippery, ungrippable ball that both teams had struggled with all day. By any name, Kris Burd held in his hands the salvation of the season. There was more work to be done, but the fickle rain gods were done smiling on Maryland. A few short minutes later, the Maryland lead was cut in half; a few short minutes after that, it was gone for good.
A football game in the rain and muddy swamps is not won by proving your superiority time and again, nor with crisp, perfect execution. That's for sunny weather. You try to gut it out each and every play, you try to make something happen, and you take what you're given and do something with that. Kris Burd took what he was given. Nate Collins took what he was given. You try not to be the ones doing the giving - at this, Maryland did not succeed.
So here we are atop the conference. How weird is that. There's only one team in the ACC that has yet to lose to any other ACC team this season, and it's not Virginia Poly, not Georgia Tech, not Miami, and definitely not Florida State, as weird as all that sounds. And yet, to the outside world, we've proven nothing. We've won our first two ACC games and they were both on the road - that's huge. As far as the outside world goes, they care little for that. The ghost of William & Mary still haunts this team. As it should. Because this is a team that can't rest on its laurels. What have we to rest on? We've proven we're not totally crappy by beating three crappy teams. "Not crappy" isn't going to get it done next week. We're sitting in the driver's seat, but there's an intersection in the windshield. One of the signs says "2007" and the other says "2008." I know which road I want to go down, but we're not gonna find out til Saturday.
********************************
Part of the reason it's so much fun to beat Maryland is because Maryland insists on being so fun to beat. Early in the game I thought "man, it's hard to stand out for douchery at such a douchey school, but Alex Wujciak is succeeding." This was because of his "we'd never wear stuff like that" quote from the previous week, and then the "look at me, I'm a fierce tribal warrior, RAHHR" eyeblack he had on during the game. Schmo.
I changed my mind, though. Wujciak, despite his proclamations of dominance (you'd think they won the game the way he speaks) is just one douche rocket in a sea of douche rockets. The attitude is pervasive throughout the locker room.
Torrey Smith: “I feel like we’re better than Rutgers, I feel like we’re better than Middle Tennessee, I definitely feel that we’re better than UVa.” (Yes, he said this after losing to all those teams. Some of them twice.)
Wujciak again: "We just shut them down. They got one lucky pass where the guy is half out of bounds, they called him inbounds. I don’t even know what to say about that." (You were halfway across the field, dude. How would you know?)
Chris Turner: "Any other day if it wasn’t a torrential downpour and the balls were dry it would have been another outcome. But shoulda-woulda-coulda, you can’t make excuses, that’s just the way it was." (I think that qualifies as an excuse. Guy sounds like Charlie Weis: "I'm not complaining but...." And I didn't realize the sun was shining whenever Sewell threw the ball.)
With all that crying about how much better they think they are, that sure sounds like a reflection on the coach. But he wouldn't be dumb enough to say stuff like that in public, would he?
Yes he would: "I don’t think these teams that are winning are better than us, but we just keep shooting ourselves in the foot."
Douche. Bags. This is why it's so much fun to beat these guys. They provide enough humor to let the glow of victory last all week. It's not about getting credit or respect for the win; I don't need it, it's etched in the scorebook for all time. It's the laughs. Schadenfreude is twice as freude-y when it's Maryland. Here's a prediction: Duke is going to beat this team next week. Book it. Come back to this page next Sunday and see if I'm right. Why? Maryland doesn't think they need to get any better. They think they're good enough. Five times now, it's been just the rotten breaks that keep going against them. They don't need to get any better, they just need the world to stop turning against them. Duke is a hungry team with a new attitude. They gave Virginia Poly hell and they crushed NC State. They know they need to keep getting better, and they are. Maryland thinks they're good enough already. Hell, they're better than we are, if you listen to their players. An ironic attitude coming from a school whose fans hate us because they think we think we're better than them.
That said....
- We didn't exactly win the battle in the trenches. Especially not on offense. And we didn't get much pressure on Turner, except for certain key moments. If we'd done what I said to do, which is make liberal use of the blitz, given what happened when we did get to Turner I think we'd have had a lot more success on defense and turned the game in our favor earlier.
- Nate Collins is a hoss. The ACC thinks so too.
- To clear it up: Yes, Groh absolutely should have gone for the score. Did you see what happened the last time we had first and goal on the 1? No cutesying around with kneeling the ball. Punch it in, take the points, put 'em down two scores. Maryland had a timeout left and would likely have gotten the ball back with a chance for a miracle. Never turn down the points when all they need to do is score once and they're on top again. Right play call, right time.
- Not only was Burd not out of bounds, but the officials could legitimately have called pass interference on Maryland. Check the tape; the defender that didn't leap into the air knocked Burd out of the way. If that was single and not double coverage, the refs would call that every time.
- Argh one shotgun draw too many.
- Speaking of what happened when we had first and goal at the 1, I'll tell you what happened: Landon Bradley singlehandedly murdered that opportunity. First with the false start and then repeatedly getting blown into the backfield. Next year's training camp is going to see a fierce competition between Bradley and Oday Aboushi for that job, and that's just if Morgan Moses doesn't show up and stick his nose into the fray.
- We didn't really miss Mikell Simpson. No way Simpson could have been effective on that field. What we missed was Cedric Peerman. Having graduated him, Rashawn Jackson would be the guy we needed; why he wasn't given the ball more often and allowed to just bull his way ahead all the time is a mystery. It was pretty damn effective in the fourth. Also, Peerman would not have whiffed that block that resulted in a Sewell fumble, but that only partly matters: Bradley should not have been doubling down on Pasztor's guy, not with two guys lined up outside him that clearly weren't in pass coverage. That might have been how the play was supposed to be blocked, and you have to tip your hat to Maryland's defensive coordinator for really mixing up his blitzes especially well. But Bradley was ineffective all day.
- This might just be the best defense we've ever had in the Groh era. Seriously. It's weird because we don't have Clint Sintim or Darryl Blackstock, those pass-rushing OLB's that do a lot of great things in this 3-4 defense. The linebacking corps is not getting much attention, outside of Steve Greer who's playing very well. But this defense is beastly when it counts. The 3-4 means not much attention goes to the D-line, but I think they deserve the lion's share of the credit. The secondary is playing exceptionally well, that is a fact. And the aforementioned Greer has been a nice addition. But the defensive line is making plays and winning battles, and the 3-4 defense cannot be successful without that. Matt Conrath has been having a terrific season. Let's hope he's not hurt too badly. But if he has to miss time, then the defense will simply adopt Groh's next-man-up mentality, and Zane Parr is that man. Parr has also played well and can fill the hole left by Conrath.
Aaaand I'm done babbling. This week: BIG GAME. Are we legit? We'll find out. Also, see the note below for some programming info.
Editor's note: This is the column I'd planned for Sunday. Unfortunately, in the middle of putting together the highlights from the Maryland game, my computer decided it didn't want to do this anymore. It is down so hard. It does not do things any more. It's not even that old a computer. In computer years, it's right in the middle of its angsty teenage phase, which now that I think of it, I suppose would explain things. Anyway, that means a severe disruption in posting. I'm doing this from work, in bits and pieces because actual work keeps getting in the way. Today I'm going in to get the data on the hard drive recovered and hopefully, get the hard drive fixed too so that it boots up again. If that doesn't work.....well, I don't know what to tell you; a new hard drive will be in order, I don't doubt. As long as my computer is out of commission, going forward the only thing I can guarantee you is a Q&A session with the FTRS boys and that beyond that, there won't be anything other than my thoughts barfed onto the page whenever I get the chance here at work. Actual research until the situation is fixed, like the weekend review post that normally happens today and won't: highly unlikely. Je suis désolé.
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